Chapter 12: Introducing the Fundamentals/An Unusual Proposition
Predictably, the announcement that not only had the Meta Liberation Army revived, but that All Might and Endeavor had worked alongside the Japanese Military, took the internet by storm. The Aldera Scandal went from a localized Mustafu event to international news overnight. On social media, debates over the legality and justice of the joint Hero/military raid run rampant. Talk shows call in experts to discuss the Hero Public Safety Commission's public statement regarding the use of Heroes in armed conflict. Online essays, video or otherwise, sprout like weeds and quickly begin referencing or countering other essays.
The Ministry of Education quickly announced they would be going through every school in Japan with a fine-tooth comb. If they missed Aldera, no one wants to speculate what else they could have missed over the years. Izuku expects that will take quite a bit longer than the Aldera investigation, now that Nedzu's case is officially resolved and he's resumed his normal duties.
What Izuku hadn't expected was the communities of people with weak or stereotypically villainous Quirks to emerge online praising the complete collapse of the Meta Liberation Army. Izuku even sees some posts from people who listed themselves as 'Quirkless' on their profiles. They're all talking about throwing an actual massive party celebrating the MLA's defeat. Only a few days after the brawl between All Might and the leader of the Army, and #MLAisOverParty leads the 'Trending' section of every major social media site.
Ms. Nightlight @JoyatoHikari
So my moms and I cleared a pretty decent space on Takoba beach. Anyone in Mustafu want to swing by May 31 at sundown? We've got snacks #MLAisOverParty
Can't See Me @HagakureToru
Replying to @JoyatoHikari
I'll see you there, but you won't see me! #MLAisOverParty
Ms. Nightlight @JoyatoHikari
Replying to @HagakureToru
Ominous! I like it! #MLAisOverParty
Can't See Me @HagakureToru
Replying to @JoyatoHikari
I'll give you a hint: my profile pic is a selfie #MLAisOverParty
I'm Melting @AshidoMina
Replying to @JoyatoHikari
Oh yeah! I haven't been to a party in forever! #MLAisOverParty
Mad Scientist @HatsumeMei
Replying to @JoyatoHikari
Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha! Yes! #MLAisOverParty
And so it went. Some digging shows that other cities have similar impromptu celebrations planned online. Izuku knows Kacchan won't be caught dead somewhere where the kinds of people he calls 'extras' are hanging out, so he doesn't need to worry about that.
May 31st, huh? That's a month away. And what a wild April he's had. A week of break from his hell school between second and third year, Kacchan's… advice and subsequent Villain Attack. Meeting All Might, then Nedzu and Eraserhead. Then his school got closed because everyone working there was apparently a terrorist, ending with Endeavor getting ragdolled on live TV—apparently, he'll be out of action for a whole month—and All Might beating up a CEO. Eat the rich.
He'll talk to him mom about going to the Takoba Beach party later. Right now, he has to go see Nedzu and keep up with his Junior High work.
It's strange, being the only middle school student learning at UA. Occasionally one of the high school students stop and ask him if he's supposed to be here. Izuku does look his age. He ends up explaining that he meets with Nedzu daily to five different students on his way to the office, dissolving into a stuttering mess every time. Even so, Izuku wouldn't trade this opportunity to learn from Nedzu for the world.
"Good morning, Midoriya!" Nedzu says, opening his office door just before Izuku can knock. Izuku snorts, used to the principal's habits by now.
"Good morning, sir! What are we doing today?" He slides into his chair, a cup of steaming tea already on the desk for him. Nedzu turns his monitor so Izuku can see it.
"Quirk analysis!" he cheers. Izuku brightens. This is what got him this opportunity in the first place! "I'll be showing some archived footage of the sports festival, and I want you to write down as much as you can about the different Quirks you see." The principal pulls some blank paper from a drawer and hands it to Izuku. "Ready?"
"Ready." Nedzu taps his spacebar and the video plays. Izuku recognizes the event as a race, one of the mass-elimination events. From the chaos that breaks out instantly, Izuku can see Quirk use on other competitors was allowed. His eyes dart between the various competitors.
"The student in first has a flying Quirk, no, he's got something under his arms. He's carrying himself. Telekinesis? Control of a specific material? That student, the one who keeps throwing rocks, it looks like Trajectory Manipulation, but he keeps hesitating. Trajectory Prediction? That girl, anyone she touches freezes over. Where does the ice come from? The water in the air, or her own body?" Izuku spots movement ahead of the crowd. His eyes snap ahead, but he can't see anyone. Except—there! A ripple in the air, like heat. "Too noticeable for invisibility. Camouflage?" Izuku continues voicing his observations like that for the rest of the video. When the final contestant—someone with gills—crosses the line, Nedzu stops the video.
"Most impressive, Midoriya! I only noticed a few Quirks you were wrong about. That student you thought had a weak telepathy quirk in fact possesses a Psychometry Quirk, among a handful of other similar instances. Of course, by the entrance exam I'll have you analyzing faster and more accurately." Nedzu claps. "Now, how would you fight villains who use the Quirks you've described?" Izuku sets a thumb to the corner of his mouth.
"The easiest way to beat any of them is with an ambush. If I don't give them a chance to use their Quirks, they don't matter. If I was forced into a direct fight, that would change things. Uh, the students with contact-based Quirks, I'd target their hands. The metal-manipulator, um, I'd try and rust or destroy the metal they brought with them. Maybe use electromagnets? The one who can predict how things move could be tricky. If I ambushed him from range his Quirk might alert him, so I'd need to attack from close range, or overwhelm him so it doesn't matter where he dodges." Izuku continues rattling off ways to counter the various Quirks Nedzu displayed for him while the principal himself nodded along.
"I am sure you have noticed I am a firm believer in hand-on experience," Nedzu says when Izuku finishes. "So, now that you're warmed up, for your next assignment you will be solving a cold case." Izuku sputters while Nedzu laughs, pulling a large manilla folder out from a desk drawer. "Not a realcold case, of course. I have written up for you a simulated unsolved crime based on an actual incident that was recently resolved." He slides the folder to Izuku, who opens it cautiously. "Ready?"
"Ready."
"Begin!"
"You won't hear those vultures in the media discussing it, but one of the most important aspects of Heroics is mobility," Mr. Aizawa says, leading Izuku towards Ground Beta, where Izuku sees modern buildings rise above the outer wall. "If you can't reach people in danger in time, you'll never be able to save them." Mr. Aizawa swipes his faculty ID on the scanner next to the massive gate. The door to the training ground swings wide, and Izuku sees just how large the simulated urban environment truly is. Whole city blocks stretch into the distance, office buildings, apartments, and skyscrapers lining the streets. For how detailed the buildings are, it's… empty for a city. No buses, or bikes, or pedestrians.
"There aren't many Quirks well suited to covering long distances quickly," Mr. Aizawa continues as Izuku follows him through the gate and into the grounds. "Most Heroes have to find some other way to compensate. I use a mixture of parkour and my Capture Scarf."
"So, you're going to be teaching me parkour?"
"First, I'll be demonstrating. I won't have an amateur running around an actual city until you have the basics down." Aizawa runs at a wall, effortlessly stepping up the flat surface until he can reach a handhold and pull himself up. He springs upward to another handhold and again, jamming his scarf into the wall when he needs to, until he's on the building's roof.
"Parkour," Mr. Aizawa says, lowering himself back down with his Capture Scarf, "is originally based on military obstacle course training before it expanded into a wider skillset. It is a way of seeing your environment in a different way and interacting with it to move from Point A to Point B as efficiently as possible. I don't teach freerunning here. Fancy flips look great on your own time, but they'll get you killed in the field." Mr. Aizawa turns, jerking his head, and Izuku follows. "I've got some training obstacles set up around the corner. We'll get you learning the fundamentals and once you've got those down, thenwe'll see if you can scale a building." Izuku nods, eyes burning with excitement. He can't keep the smile off his face.
"I'm home!" Izuku calls into the apartment. He's tired and aching but beaming.
"Welcome back, Izuku!" his mother calls. Izuku sets his bag down as she shuffles into the living room and sweeps him into a hug. Izuku helps set the kitchen table for dinner, idly chatting with his mother about their days. Once they're both eating, he brings up the post he saw online.
"At Takoba beach?" his mother asks. "Isn't that a dump?"
"The poster said that they cleared a section of it for this," Izuku says.
"I'll have to swing by and take a look sometime. If it looks safe, then we can go." She smiles softly at him. "I want to celebrate too, you know. No one hurts my kid and gets away with it."
The day after, she tells him she saw people expanding the clear area. Apparently, seeing members of the community making progress, combined with needing space for the party, inspired some locals to help out.
Izuku marks the end of the month on his calendar.
Aizawa, as usual, is the last to arrive. Nedzu can't complain too much this time. After all, he's only called a Staff Meeting, and not another War Meeting. Once the Underground Hero has taken his seat, Nedzu begins.
"As you know, the Ministry of Education is currently reviewing schools across Japan for potential abuse and negligence. We need to prepare ourselves for the possibility that many children will suddenly find themselves in need of a replacement source of education. Given the tools and support to succeed, these overlooked children may flourish. As we are both a private school and played a not-insignificant part in encouraging this nationwide review, I cannot help but feel responsible for the displaced students."
"It's unfortunate," Yagi says, "But for the most part all we can do is suggest they transfer to different districts or attend online schooling."
"Nedzu wouldn't have called us here if that's all," Majima replies.
"No, the Rat's planning something." Aizawa says. "And I get the feeling I'm about to regret not having a class of my own." Nedzu's mouth curls into a grin.
"Something like that, Aizawa." He pulls a file out from his jacket and places it on the table. "I am asking for you to review my plans to institute a temporary new class for students who may have attended UA had they better opportunities. Class Z."
"How will it work?" Nemuri asks.
"A remedial cram course," says the principal. "Starting in our second term, Class Z will be an intensive course meant to ensure the students are up to speed with their yearmates. Course Z will cover fundamentals of all four of our courses, and the students will transfer to one of those branches for their second year." Kan looks up, his eyes distant.
"I may have a recommendation for a student," he says. "Her school didn't necessarily mistreat her, but they missed her parents forcing her to suppress her Quirk."
"I must have misheard you, Kan," Nedzu says, voice razor-sharp and cold as ice. "Or did you actually tell me that in this day and age someone still practices Quirk Suppression Therapy?"
"Not anymore they don't," Kan spits. "You know how I keep an ear to the ground for Quirks like mine? Try to keep an eye on 'Villainous' Quirk discrimination?" Nedzu gestures for him to continue. "About six weeks ago, less than an hour after her middle school graduation, a girl forced to suppress her Quirk due to it giving her a blood fascination reached her limit. She ended up attacking another student, seriously injuring him. She disappeared immediately afterwards. When interviewed, her parents claimed that she was 'a demon child' who was born evil." Nedzu forces his fur back down before anyone can see him bristling.
"Where is she now? I assume the police are looking for her."
"Well," Kan says. "When Nemuri and I were helping with the MLA Raids, she found us. I had Nemuri sedate her, and she's currently in the Hero Ward of a private hospital, officially under my supervision." Nemuri nods, concern etched all over her face.
"She was so light," she mutters.
"Tell me everything," Nedzu says.
"Alright," Kan begins. "Her name is Toga Himiko, and she's 15 years old."